Government can ‘ intervene’ in conservation authorities
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says her government is ensuring the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has the power to “intervene” in the activities of conservation authorities, but fell short of supporting the appointment of supervisors to run the organizations.
During a Tuesday afternoon interview on 610 CKTB radio with host Larry Fedoruk, Wynne said the provincial government is committed to supporting “good planning” in Ontario that protects water and agricultural lands as well as “necessary development” and transparency in conservation authorities.
But she did not voice support for the idea of giving the government the power to override an authority’s board of directors — something critics of the embattled Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority have been calling for.
Recent changes to provincial Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act expands the oversight powers the ministry has over conservation authorities, including NPCA.
The ministry can now ask for information and require conservation authorities to publish reports it could not compel them to in the past. It also requires authorities to establish advisory panels.
Welland NDP MPP Cindy Forster, who has been calling for regulatory changes to allow the ministry to appoint a supervisor to take over conservation authorities if necessary, said the changes go “part of the way” towards transparency but not far enough.
Forster said the ministry should have the ability to appoint a supervisor if the situation warrants it.
The provincial Health Ministry can appoint supervisors to take control of troubled hospital systems, as was done in Niagara in 2013, and Forster is looking for a similar option for conservation authorities.
She proposed the idea as an amendment to the act to include a supervisor, but the Liberals voted against the notion.
The act was given royal assent last week, and Forster said Tuesday the opportunity to amend the bill has passed.
However, she said she intends to bring forward a private member’s bill in January calling for a supervisor.
On the Fedoruk show, Wynne was asked about the possibility of a supervisor, but she didn’t address the issue directly.
Instead, she committed the government to giving the ministry some powers to intervene with a conservation authority.
“We need all levels of government working together for good planning,” she said. “We need to look after our water and our agricultural lands because we don’t get those back.”
On Monday night, St. Catharines city council joined Port Colborne city council in passing a motion that asks Wynne to immediately appoint a supervisor to take over NPCA. glafleche@ postmedia. com twitter. com/ grantrants